Motor vehicle transmission and control mechanism therefor



INVENTOR. ozastfimzfi/zd m v 1% 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F. R. M FARLAND MOTORVEHICLE TRANSMISSION AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR Sept. 7, 1948.

Filed Sept. 16, 1942 Sept. 7, 1948. F. R. McFARLAND MOTOR VEHICLETRANSMISSION AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed Sept. 16 1942 3Sheets-Sheet 2 \Q W JM 0 W M w M; 9 m m 1 6 .0 V Y B lQ a N P 7, 8- F.R. MCFARLAND MOTOR VEHICLE TRANSMISSION AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 16. 1942 Patented Sept. 7, 1948 UNITED'STATESPATENT. oFFicE MOTOR VEHICLE TRANSMISSION AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFORForest R. McFarland, Huntington Woods, Mich.,

asslgnor to Packard Motor Car Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation ofMichigan Application September 16, 1942, Serial No. 458,494

25 Claims. (01. 74472), 1

This invention relates to transmissions and more particularly totransmissions having a fluid torque converter incorporated therein.

An object of the invention is to provide a transmission in which atorque converter abutment member can be utilized to establish eitherforward or reverse drive.

Another object of the invention is to provide a transmission with changespeed mechanisms through which either a free wheeling or positive drivecan be selectively obtained.

Another object of the invention i to provide means for controlling atransmission having a fluid torque converter whereby th torque converterreaction member can be held or released to establish forward or reversedrive. 4

Another object of the invention is to provide control mechanism for atransmission incorporating a torque converter and change speed gearingwhereby positive drive can be obtained through the change speed gearingwhen either forward or reverse drive has been selected.

A further object of the invention is to P i a motor vehicle transmissionand control in.

which forward or reverse drive can be established by holding orreleasing a torque converter reaction member and in which two drivingspeeds can be automatically established in forward drive under thesupervision of a governor and throttle control mechanism.

Other objects of the invention will appear i'romv the followingdescription taken in connection with the drawings, which form a part ofthis specification. in which: i

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a transmission incorporating theinvention;

' line 8-6 'of Fig.1;

trcl brakeirnechanism taken approximately on Fig. 9 is a; fragmentarysectional view of the control mechanism for the transmission shown inFig. 4.

I Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, a transmission housing isformed of sections in, ii, l2 and i3 secured in aligned relation bysuitable means, such as bolts it. An engine operated driving shaft itextends into housing section it and driven shaft l6 extends throughhousing sections ii and I2 and into sections Iii and i3. Tail-shaft l1,extends into housing section I3 and all three shafts are arranged inaxial alignment. The forward end of shaft l6 pr0jects into a recess inthe rear end of the driving shaft, and is mounted in hearing it, whilethe rear end of the driven Fig. 2 is a plan view taken on line 2-2 ofFig. 1

showing the couplin for positively connecting the change speed gearing;

Fig. 3 is a. plan view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the couplingfor establishing the reverse drive from the abutment portion of thetorque converter; v

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified formof transmission;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the coupling shown in Fig. 4 for connecting thereverse drive mechanism with the driven shaft;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the control mechanism for thetransmission shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a plan view of a vehiclesteering wheel and control lever for the control mechani shown in Fig.6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the abutment con- 20 of housing sectionIS. The forward end of the tail shaft is carried by bearing 2|, arrangedin a recess in the rear end of the driven shaft, and by bearing 22 inthe rear wall of housing section IS.

The driving and driven shafts are drivingly connected. .by mechanismincluding a hydraulic torque converter having an impeller 23, a drivenmember 24 and a reaction member 25, all of which can be bladed andassociated in a conventional manner. The torque converter casing is madeup of sections 26, 21 and 26, section 26 being secured to the driveshaft by bolts 29. Section 21 is connected to section 26 by bolts 30 andsection 28 is fixed to section 21 by bolts 3|. The impeller 23 is fixedto casing section 26 and the driven member 24 is splined to shaft l6.Section 28 is formed with a hub 32 extending through flange bearing 33of interior wall 34 in housing section Ii and this bearing carries seal36 to prevent fluid escape along the hub. Bolts 21a flx the reactionmember 26 to sleeve 36 and such sleeve is splined to sleeve 36!extending through and rotatably mounted in hub 32. The peripheral endportion of sleeve 3" is formed with cam surfaces 31 on which rollers 38ride and these rollers also bear one converter reaction member. to whichis fixed gear 42, is rotatably mounted on against an abutment ringmember 36 that can be '3 shaft I6 and extends through a bearing 43 inthe adjacent end walls 44 of housing sections H and I2. A clutch hub 45is splined to sleeve 4| and the rim portion 46 of the hub is coaxialwith and projects into the rim portion. of the abutment member. Piston48 is slidably mounted on the hub rim and has a conical peripheralportion 49 adapted to engage friction ring 50 on the abutment rim. Acoil spring 5| is arranged between the hub rim and the clutch hub rim,one end of the spring projecting into a slot 52 in the hub rim and theother end of the spring abutting a lug 53 projecting from the conicalend of the hub rim. The spring is wound to normally have a slightlysmaller diameter than the abutment rim so that it is clear thereof, butwhen the piston is frictionally engaged with the abutment rim the springwill expand to couple the rims together.

The piston can be engaged against the pressure of the spring by powermeans. Bearing 43 has a passage 54 therein communicating with passage 55in the clutch hub. Fluid pressure is supplied to these passages from apump through a conduit 56 and acts against the rear of the piston. Thecontrol for the fluid pressure will be described hereafter.

Wall 34 carries a pump housing 51 in which is arranged a conventionalgear pump, the driver gear 58 of which is shown mounted on shaft 59extending through the housing. Gear 60 is fixed on this shaft and mesheswith gear 6| formed on sleeve 32 that is fixed to rotate with the torqueconverter impeller. This ump can be connected with conduit 56, with theinterior of the torque converter, with passages leading to points in themechanism requiring lubrication and with hydraulic controls to bedescribed hereafter.

Gear 42 lies in housing section I2 and meshes with cluster gear 62rotatably mounted on lay shaft 63. Gear 64 meshes with the cluster gearand is axially shiftable on shaft I6. Clutch gear 64 has interior clutchteeth 65 arranged to engage with clutch teeth 66 on shaft I6 and isshifted by fork 61 fixed on shaft 68. The gear 64 is shifted to engageclutch teeth 65 with teeth 66 only when reverse drive is desired.

Housing section I3 contains change speed gearing. Driven shaft I6projecting into this housing section has gear I fixed thereto whichmeshes with gear II on sleeve I2. Gear I3 is fixed to sleeve I4 that isrotatably mounted on shaft 16 and meshes with gear I formed on tailshaft I'I. Sleeve 14 is telescoped by sleeve 12 and coupling means isprovided therebetween to establish two one-way driving connections, oneof which is an overrunning clutch and the other of which is a frictionclutch. Sleeve I4 has cam surfaces 11 formed thereon on which rollers I8ride and these rollers are free to engage with sleeve I2. The rollerswill wedge between the adjacent surfaces of the sleeves to form aone-way overrunning drive that is well-known in the art. The sleeves aremaintained in aligned spaced relation by bearings I9 and 80.

The friction driving connection through the coupling means is obtainedby the combination of the roller clutch and coil spring 8| arrangedbetween sleeves I2 and 14, such spring having one end bearing against aboss 82 extending axially from piston 69 and the other end abutting apin 64 fixed to sleeve I4. The spring is normally of smaller diameterthan the inner diameter of sleeve I2. Piston 89 is mounted to be movedaxially on sleeve I4 and telescopes a shoulder 85 on gear II to providea leakproof fluid chamber 86. The piston also has a peripheral conesurface 81 adapted to engage with a friction, ring 88 on the interiorconical rear end of sleeve I2. When fluid is admitted to chamber 86,piston 89 will be 'forced forwardly to engage ring 8850 that it willrotate with sleeve I2 and such rotation will expand the coil springanchored to sleeve I4 to engage sleeve 'I2 and thereby frictionallyclutch the sleeves in driving relation in coast. When the drive passesthrough either the one-way 0r friction clutch means there is speedreduction because the associated gearing is so designed.

The driven shaft and the tail shaft can also be directly connected by apositive coupling to provide direct drive. Sleeve 90 is slidably splinedon the tail shaft and the internal splines are arranged to be engagedwith teeth 9| on the driven shaft. The sleeve is shifted by yoke 92fixed to a rock shaft 93. A conventional synchronizer mechanism isarranged between the sleeve 90 and teeth 9| to prevent clash when anengaging operation takes place. A blocker ring 94 is held on the drivenshaft adjacent clutch teeth 9| by coil spring 95 bearing against thetail shaft and has spaced radial extensions 96 projecting into the pathof the splines of the clutch sleeve. Certain splines of the sleeve arespaced to receive the blocker extensions when the shafts I6 and I! arerotating at approximately the same speed so that shifting of the sleevecan proceed to engage the clutch Except for minor differences in theousing construction, the structure shown in Fig. 4 differs from thatshown in Fig. 1 mainly in the mechanism for,establishing reverse drivefrom the torque converter abutment means to the driven shaft. In Fig. 4,gear 42 is formed as a part of .sleeve I00, which is an extension of theabutment member 39. Gear 42 meshes with cluster gear 62 and the clustergear meshes with gear 64 as previously described but, in this instance,gear 64 is formed with a rearwardly extending sleeve IOI which iscoupled to the driven shaft by a friction clutch. Such clutch comprisesa coil spring I02 having one end abutting a projection I03 on piston I04and the other end anchored in an opening 405 in sleeve IOI. Clutchsleeve I05 extends around the coil spring and is splined to the drivenshaft I6. The inner forward end of the sleeve I05 is conical and hasfixed thereto a friction ring I06 adapted to be engaged by a conicalsurface on the rear end of piston I04. The piston is axially movable ina flange I01 on the wall 44 of the housing under fluid pressure and whenit engages clutch sleeve ring I06, the coil spring I 02 will expand toengage sleeve I05 to drive the same from sleeve IOI to which it isanchored. Fluid enters the piston chamber formed by flange I 01 througha passage I09 in wall I08 and this passage connects with conduit 56leading from the pump housing 51. Springs 5|, 8| and I02 normally movethe associated pistons out of frictional engagement and the fluid forcemust overcome the spring force to establish the couplings.

The control system for the transmission is diagrammatically illustratedin Figs. 6, 7 and 9. A motor vehicle floor IIO terminates in toeboardIII which in turn terminates in dash I I2. The vehicle steeringmechanism column 99 extends through the toeboard and has the usualhandwheel I I3 at the upper end thereof. A hand lever. II4 for thetransmission control system is arrchored on the steering column adjacentthe steering wheel and is connected by suitable linkage 93 to actuatebell crank II! that rocks on stationary shaft II3 to control a mainswitch structure H1 and the positive reverse clutch fork31. The

. bell crank engages in a slot in control rod 08 to shift it axially andthe rod is notched to receive a spring actuated retaining detent H3 atits several positions of adjustment. Sleeves I20 and I2I are slidablymounted on the rod and fork 61 is arranged to move with such sleeves.The sleeves are positioned on the rod by suitable coil springs I24, oneend of such springs engaging washers I22 at remote ends of the sleeves.The other end of the forward spring engaging head I23 on the rod and theother end of the rear is fixed to the ,housing to actuate the pistonvalve for controlling fluid flow through conduit and spring I29 in thehousing normally moves the valve piston to position shutting off fluidflow.

This fluid control will determine the position of piston 40 to controlthe relation of coupling spring 0| and the arrangement is such thaterr-- gagement will be established thereby only when reverse driveis-desired.

Chamber 86 is in communication with an angular passage I30 in lay. shaft18 and conduit I3I establishes a connection from passage I30 to the pumpcasing 51. A fluid control means is interposed in conduit I 3I andcomprises a housins I32. 3. piston valve I33 and a housingvent I34.- Thepiston valve is moved by a solenoid I35 to open conduit I3I and isnormally held in closed position by spring I36. This valve, when open,permits flow of fluid to piston to engage coupling spring Si in drivingrelation and the arrangement is such that this takes place for reversedrive and for positive drive in low speed forward drive.

Brake 40 is applied to hold abutment member 39 stationary by mechanismactuated hydrauli-r cally. One end of the brake hand is fixed to an.anchor pin I31. see Fig. 8, and the other end is fixed to rod I38attached to piston I39 in cylinder I40. Spring III in the cylinder actsagainst the piston to normally release the brake band and fluid actsagainst the piston to apply the brake band. Conduit I42 connects thecylinder with the pump casing 51 and interposed in the conduit is acontrol means comprising housing I43, pistonvalve I44 and housing ventI40. Solenoid I46 acts to move the piston valve to allow fluid flowthrough the housing and spring I41 fold.- Vent branches 203 and 201extend from conduits 202 and 203 to the valve housing and vents 200and200 lead from the valve housing in alignment with the vent branches.valve 2I0 in the housing 204 is under the control of solenoid 2H andspring 2I2. The spring'hormally moves the piston valve into the positionshown in Fig. 6 to open conduit 203 to vacuum and to cut ofl theconnection of conduit 202 with the intake manifold which is open toatmosphere through vents 202 and 200. When the solenoid 2 is energized,the valve is shifted to connect conduit 202 with the manifold conduitand connecting conduit 203 to atmosphere through vents 201 and 200.Thus, when the solenoid is energized, piston 200 will be moved to theleft by vacuum and will cause shaft 33 to be rocked to shift clutch intopositive driving engagement with clutch teeth 3| on shaft I3 whenpermitted normally acts against the piston valve to shut I off fluidflow through the housing. When the valve is opened, fluid will flow toapply the brake and thereby hold the abutment for the torqu converterreaction member.

The shaft 93 for controlling change speed clutch 00 is operated bypower. An arm I90 is a fitted to such shaft and is connected by rod I 33of piston 200 in cylinder 20I which is connected with'the usual intakemanifold of the engine (not shown) of which the'crankshaft has beenreferred to as driving shaft I5. Conduits 202 and 203 lead from the endportions of the cylinder to a valve housing 204 and conduit 20! leadsfrom the valve housing to the engine intake'maniby blocker 04.

The solenoid actuated valves in the control system comprise part of anelectric system under the supervision of the manually controlled mainswitch I'II, a kick-down switch 2l3, a governor switch 2 and ignitionswitch 2I5. The vehicle battery 2I0 is connected by conductor 2" withthe ignition switch, the ignition switch is connected with coil 2I0 byconductor 2I0, the distributor 220 is connected with the coil by conduit22I and conductor means 222 leads from the distributor to the enginespark plugs (not shown).

The kick-down switch is carried in housing 223 and has two pair ofcontacts 224. 225 and 226,

221 fixed in openings in the wall thereof. Separately movable angularswitch members 228 and 229 are slidably mounted in the housing, member228 acting to connect contacts 224 and 223 and member 229 acting toconnect contacts 220 and 221. The movable swi ch members are controlledby an actuator rod 230 extending through the housing and having. one endbent to ride in an arcuate slot 23l in an arm of hell crank 232 mountedon a pivot 233. The bell crank is connected with an accelerator pedal234 by a link 23! which also serves to control the engine throttle valve(not shown). The accelerator is pivoted to the toeboard and spring 233acts to move the free end of the accelerator away from the toeboard sothat the engine will idle. Spring 231 in housing 223 acts tonormallyengage switch member 229 with contacts 220 and 221 while spring230 normally acts to. engage switch memher 220 with contacts 224 and225.

. The governor actuated switch 2I4 includes a shaft 230 having gear 240fixed to one end and governor weights 230 pivoted tothe other end. Gear240 is driven by suitable mechanism (not shown) actuated by gear 24Ifixed to the tail shaft. Sleeve 242 is slidably mounted on shaft 239 andis connected by links'with the governor weights to be shifted axiallytherewith. The sleeve controls three switches 400. 4M and 402, all ofthe overcenter type. Switch 400 includes a stationary contact member 403and a movable contact member404 carried by a pivotally'mounted carrier40! havingits free end connected by spring 400 with sleeve 242. Switch40I includes a stationary contact member'401 and a movable nected withsleeve 242 by spring 4| 2. Stop mem ber 4I3 limits movement of carrier MI in a direction away from switch member 409.

A piston The main control switch includes a housing 245 in which isarranged a switch actuator member 246, fixed to rod 66, for makingconnections dictated by the position of lever II4. Switch mem- 246 ascam means or abutments for actuating plungers 241, 246, 246 and 250,such plungers being slidably mounted in an inner housing 25I serving asa container for the switch member 246. Plunger 241 is arranged tocontrol a double contact self-opening spring contact member 252 thatwill connect contacts 256 with contacts 254 and 255. Plunger 248 isarranged to control selfopening spring contact member 256 to connectcontact 251 with contact 256. Plunger 248 is arranged to controlself-opening spring contact member 256 to connect contact 266 withcontact Ni and plunger 256 is arranged to control selfopening springcontact member 262 to connect contact 263 with contact 264.

Contact 266 is connected with conductor 2I9, leading from the battery,by conductor 265 while contact 26I is connected with kick-down switchcontact 226 by conductor 266. Conductor 261 leads from conductor 266 togovernor contact member 466. Contact 263 is connected with solenoid I46byconductor 268, and conductor 269 leads from conductor 268 to contact221 of the kick-down switch. Conductor 269 is connected by conductor 216with governor contact member 461. Contact 264 is connected by conductor2" with contact member 404 and conductor 212 connects conductor 2' withcontacts 251-and 255 and with conductor 265. Contact 253 is connectedwith solenoid I28 by conductor 218 while contacts 254 and 258 areconnected with solenoid I35 by conductor 214. Kick-down contact 224 isconnected with solenoid 2 by conductor 215 while contact 225 isconnected with governor contact member 469 by conductor 216.

Conductor 266 extends to a fixed contact 219 of a control switch, andconductor 266 connects a movable contact 28I of such switch withgovernor contact member 4I6. Switch contact 28I is fixed to a stem 282projecting from valve I38 and moves therewith to make and break theswitch connection. This switch connection when broken will overrule thegovernor switch.

The ignition switch lies between the battery and the electric systemcontrolling the change speed mechanism and such switch must be closed inorder that the system may function. When the ignition switch 2I5 isclosed, conductors 265 and 283 will be connected with the battery sothat the electric control system is ready to function.

With the control lever in neutral position, as

- shown in Figs. 6 and '1, the main switch actuator is in a positionallowing self-opening switches 252, 256, 262 and 259 to be open so thatthe solenoids I28, I35 and I46 will be deenergized and the associatedvalves I26, I33 and I44 will be closed. Solenoid 2I I will also bedeenergized so that valve 2I6 will open conduit 263 to the engine intakemanifold causing the vacuum-operated shaft 93 to be rocked in adirection disengaging clutch 86. The switch control rod 68, when inneutral position, will locate fork 61 to disengage the gear clutch '64.As brake 46 is released, the engine can be operating and the torqueconverter will idle.

.In order to obtain reverse drive, the lever H4 is shifted to the leftfrom neutral position, as view in Fig. 7, and this will shift the switchcontrol rod 68 toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 6. The flrst part ofthe movement of the switch member 246 will cause plunger 256 to be movedoutwardly to engage switch contact 262 with contact 266 and as conductor21I is connected with conductor 265 this will energize solenoid I46through conductor 268. Energizing this solenoid will move valve I44upwardly opening the fluid ower line I42 creating a force on piston I39to apply brake 46. This movement of the switch control rod will movefork 61 in a direction to' engage teeth 65 of gear 64 with teeth 66. Thebrake application is prior to engagement of teeth 65 and 66. As movementof the control rod 68 is continued toward the left, plunger 241 will bemoved outwardly to close switch member 252 with contacts 253 and 254energizing solenoid I28 which actuates valve I26 causing fluid to flowthrough lines 56 and 55 to force piston 48 against cone 50 of abutment66. Further movement releases plunger 256 so that switch member 262 willopen and thereby deenergize solenoid I46 whereupon brake 46 will bereleased and abutment 39 will be driven in reverse direction by thereaction member 25 of the torque converter. Since the fluid pressure hascaused piston 48 to engage ring 49 on the abutment member they willrotate in unison and this will cause spring 5I to expand and couplemember 46 with the abutment whereby reverse drive is transmitted to gear42 and through the reduction gearing 62 and 64 to the driven shaft I6and thence through the reduction gearing to the tail shaft.

Engagement of switch member 252 with contact' 254 simultaneously withcontact 253 has energized conductor 214 and solenoid I35 causing valveI34 to open and permit fluid under pressure to flow through conduit I3Iinto passage I60 and chamber 86. This fluid pressure has moved piston 85into engagement with sleeve ring 68 rotation of which will now causespring 8I to expand to establish a positive coupling, as previouslyexplained, between the gears 'II and 13 so that the reverse drivethrough such reduction gearing will be maintainedwhile the mechanism isset for reverse drive.

It will be noted that reverse operation results because the reversetorque exerted on the driven shaft I6 by the reaction member 25 ismultiplied through the gearing 42, 62, 64 to overcome the forwardlydirected torque exerted on the driven shaft I6 by the driven member orturbine 24.

The torque converter may be assumed as having a torque multiplyin ratioof 1.5 for the driven member or turbine 24, resulting in a torquemultiplying ratio of .5 for the reaction member 25. The reverse ears 42,62, 64 may be assumed as having a torque increasing ratio of 6.25resulting from a torque increasing ratio of 2.5 in each gear set whenthe gear 64 is shifted to engage its internal clutch teeth 65 with theclutch teeth 66 of the driven shaft I6. When the engine is acceleratedin the reverse drive position the driven member or turbine 24 willtransmit 1.5 times engine torque to the driven shaft I6 tending torotate it in the forward direction. The reaction member 25 has aresulting torque reaction of -5 times engine torque tending to rotatethe abutment member 39, sleeve M and gear 42 in the direction oppositeto engine rotation. This torque is multiplied by the torque increasingratio of 6.25 in the gears 42, 62 and 64 resulting in a reverse torqueof 3.12 being applied to the driving shaft I6. The forwardly directedtorque of 1.5 times engine torque exerted on the driven shaft I6 by thedriven member or turbine 24 must be subtracted from the reverse torqueof 3.12 times engine torque exerted on the driven shaft I6, by

the reaction member 25 and the torque increasing gearing 42, 92, 94,resulting in a net reverse torque of 1.62 times engine torque. torque isfurther multiplied by the gears", 1|, 13 and having a torque increasingratio of approximately 1.5 or somewhat greater, to provide a totalreverse torque of 2.43 or greaterat the tailshaft of the transmission.If a higher torque multiplication is desired a correspondingly higherratio of reduction can be designed in gears 42, 92 and 64.

In order to obtain forward drive, lever H4 is shifted to the right fromneutral position, as viewed in Fig. '7, which will move the main switchactuator 249-to the right, as viewed in Fig. 6, causing plunger 249 toclose switch member 259. Conthe accelerator pedal is released, bellcrank 222 acts to move rod 299-upwardly and through means of a lug 999fixed on the rod, contact 229 is moved away from contact 229 against theaction of spring 231 acting to move contact 229. downwardly. Thus, themain switch can be set for 7 forward drive but the torque converter willidle until the brake is applied to the abutment and This net reverse 1ductor 265 will thus be connected with conductor the accelerator must bedepressed slightly to allow switch member 229 to be moved to energizesole,- noid I 46 to shift valve I44 to open position so that fluid canflow into cylinder I49 to act on piston I39 and apply brake 49 to theabutment. Solenoids I28, I35 and 2 will be deenergized while switch 499is closed so the drive will be through the gears 1I and 13 connected byclutch rollers 18.

In starting up with the vehicle speed below a certain speed, say fivemiles per hour, governor switch 499 will be closed. Contact member 499is connected with solenoid M5 by conductor 999 and will be energized inorder to move a plunger stop member 4I6 out of the path of actuator 246.This stop member is acted upon by spring 4" to normally project it intothe path of movement of the actuator 249. Thus the switch actuator canbe shifted to the right beyond forward drive position only while thevehicle speed is below five miles an hour as switch 499 is opened by thegovernor switch above such speed.

This forward position of the ain switch actuator can be maintained forall forward vehicle speeds and the governor switch takes control toautomatically establish gear relations. The sleeve 242 is moved with theweights as their position is shifted by vehicle speed, and switch 499stays closed until five miles per hour vehicle speed is reached,whereupon switch carrier 495 is snapped upwardly by spring 499 to engageswitch 4M and to disengage switch .499. This will deenergize solenoid 5but brake 49 will remain applied to the abutment because contact member491 connects with conductor 299 through conductor 219 and contact member499 connects with conductor 265 through conductor 291 and sucharrangement maintains current flow even though the accelerator pedal isreleased disconnecting contacts 229 and 221. Solenoids 2| I. I

and I28 will be deenergized so the drive will be the same as below fivemilesan hour except that the kick-down switch has no control. Thiscondition is maintained up to some predetermined speed. say twenty milesper hour, when switch 492 will be closed. Solenoid I49 will remainenergized because switch 49I remains closed and thus the brake 40remains engaged with the "Abutment.

When. switch 492 is energized conductor 219 will energize conductor 215and solenoid 2| I. Valve 2"] will be moved upwardly opening conduit 292to atmosphere and connecting conduit 292 with intake manifold 295.Vacuum will thus pull piston 299 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 6, andthrough arm I99 connected with the piston will turn shaft 93 to shiftclutch 99 into engagement with teeth 9i on shaft I9, to establish directdrive to the tail shaft on which the clutch is splined, as soon assynchronization permits. Momentary lifting of the acceleratoraccomplishes synchronization.

When direct drive is established, the driver can overrule the same bydepressing the accelerator pedal beyond wide open-throttle position toreestablish the lower speed drive through the reduction gears andoverrunning clutch therein. Rod 299 is moved downwardly by bell crank222 and has a boss 43I thereon that will engage the contact member 228to shift it out of engagement with contact 225 and thus deenergizesolenoid 2! I. When solenoid 2 is deenerglzed, contact is made betweenpoints 284 and 499. Contact has previously been made between points 299and 299. The ignition is now grounded causing a torque reversalpermitting vacuum in line 293 acting on piston 299 causing arm I99 toturn rocker shaft 93 causing disengagement of clutch sleeve 99 withteeth 9i. 'As switch'49l is still effective, the drive through thereduction gearing will be effective. The accelerator pedal must be helddown to maintain this reduction searing drive while the vehicle isoperating above twenty miles an hour in forward speed setting. When theaccelerator pedal is released to the driving range position, spring 239will return contact 229 to engagement with contact 225 and direct drivewill be reestablished.

When forward drive is through the reduction drive, the overrunningclutch connects gears 1| and 19, and thus the engine will not act tobrake the vehicle under some driving conditions, such as when goingdownhill. Another control is provided for the reduction gearing to causepositive drive therethrough through coupling spring 8|. When such asolid .underdrive is desired, the lever H4 is moved to the right offorward position, as viewed in Fig.7. which will shift the main switchactuator 246 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 6, moving plunger 249outwardly to engage contact member 259 with contact 258. Switch member259 will also be closed so that switch 499, while closed, will energizesolenoid 4| and thereby hold stop member 4I9 out of the path of switchactuator 246 so that it can be shifted to engage contact member 255. Ifswitch 499 is open then the current to solenoid H5 is broken and stopmember 4I6 blocks movement'of the switch actuator to a position movingplunger 249 outwardly. As a result of such arrangement, the shift intopositive reduced drive can be made only when the vehicle speed is lessthan five miles per hour.

With the switch member 259 engaging contact 258, current flows throughconductor 212 from conductor 255 to contact 251 and through conductor214 to solenoid I35 which will be energized to open valve I34 and allowpressure to shift piston 99 to engage coupling II in positive drivingrelation with gears 1i and 19. This opening movement of valve I24 willmove contact 2" ac-raove 11 away from contact 219 breaking current flowto switch 402 to overrule the governor in the event the vehicle speedbecomes such that the governor would cause a shift into positive directdrive.

It will thus be seen that coupling 8| combined with the roller clutchestablishes a positive drive through the low speed gearing when drivingin reverse gear or, when desired, in forward gear. In the governorcontrolled forward drive, below twenty miles perhour and when thekick-down switch is open, the overrunning clutch will establish thedrive through the low speed gearing. Positive clutch 90 is engaged onlywhen the vehicle is travelling forward above twenty miles per hour. Thekick-down switch also controls the application of the abutment brakewhen starting in forward.

The control'mechanism for the form of transmission shown in Fig. 4 isthe same as for the transmission shown in Fig. 1 with the exception thatbell crank H is arranged to directly engage the main switch actuator 248as shown in Fig. 9. The rod 68 for shifting fork 61 is unnecessary asthe reduction gears 42, 62 and 65 are constantly in mesh.- The expansionof spring I02 in Figs. 4 and 5 couples the abutment driven mechanismwith the driven shaft for reverse drive when the brake All is released,while in Fig. 1 the spring 5| serves the same function but, in addition,clutch gear 84 must be engaged with teeth 66.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a specificembodiment, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous otherapplications which will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. Theinvention is therefore :0 be limited only as indicated by the scope ofthe appended claims."

What I claim is:

1. In a transmission, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a hydraulictorque converter operative to couple said shafts, said converterincluding a reversely operated reaction member, abutment means forrestraining said reaction member from being driven reversely, controlmeans operable to hold or release said abutment means, and couplin meansbeing operable to drivingly connect the driven shaft with the abutmentmeans for reverse drive when said abutment means is released by saidcontrol'means.

2. In a transmission, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a hydraulictorque converter operative to couple said shafts and including areversely operated reaction member, means including an abutment membercoupled to said reaction member, a brake operable to hold or releasesaid abutment member, and means operable to connect said abutment memberin relation for reversely driving the driven shaft at a reduced speedwhen said brake is released.

3. In a transmission, a driving shaft; a driven shaft; a fluid torqueconverter having an impeller rotated by the driving shaft, a drivenmember drivingly connected with the driven shaft and a reversely rotatedreaction member; abutment means for restraining said reaction memberfrom being driven reversely, means for holding or releasing saidabutment means, and means operable to effect a driving couple from saidabutment means, when released, to said driven shaft whereby the drivenshaft is driven reversely by the torque converter.

4. In a transmission, a driving shaft; a driven shaft; a hydraulictorque converter having an impeller driven by the drive shaft, a drivenmember coupled to the driven shaft and a reaction member; abutmentmeans; a one-way over-run- .ning clutch for coupling said reactionmember with the abutment means; means operable to hold or release saidabutment means; and means for drivingly connecting said abutment meanswith said driven shaft to drive said shaft reversely when said abutmentmeans is released.

5. In a vehicle transmission, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, ahydraulic torque converter including a reaction member drivinglyconnecting said shafts, abutment means restraining said reaction memberfrom being driven reversely when held stationary, means operable to holdor release said abutment means, said abutment means being rotated in areverse direction when released, controlled power means connected toactuate said holding or releasing means, and gearing operable by saidabutment means when released to drive the driven shaft reversely.

6. In a transmission, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a torqueconverter drivingly connecting said shafts and having a reversely drivenreaction member, an abutment member, a one-way clutch between theabutment member and the reaction member, a brake operable to hold orrelease the abutment member, reduction gearing rotated by 'said abutmentmember, and clutch means operable to connect the gearing in relation todrive the driven shaft reversely.

'7. In a transmission, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a torqueconverter drivingly connecting said shafts and having a reversely drivenreaction member, an abutment member, adapted to be driven reversely withthe reaction member, a oneway clutch means between the abutment memberand the reaction member, a brake for the abutment member, reductiongearing operable to drive the driven shaft, and clutch means operable todrivingly connect the abutment member with the reduction gearing todrive the driven shaft reverseiy when the brake is released.

8. In a transmission, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a hydraulictorque converter connected with said shafts and including a reverselydriven reaction member. abutment means for the reaction member, brakemeans for holding the abutment means, driving means between the abutmentmeans and the driven shaft including clutch means, and control meansshiftable into a plurality of relations, one of said relations of thecontrol means engaging the brake means and disengaging the clutch means,another relation of the control means disengaging the brake means andengaging the clutch means to effect reverse drive of the driven shaft,and another relation of the control means disengaging both the brakemeansand the clutch means.

9. In a transmission, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a hydraulictorque converter connected with said shafts and including a reverselydrivable reaction member, abutment means rotatable reversely with thereaction member, a brake operable to hold the abutment means fromreverse rotation, mechanism including a clutch operable to drive thedriven shaft reversely from the abutment means when released by thebrake, and control means operable to engage and release said brake andsaid clutch, said drive shaft being driven in a reverse direction by thetorque converter reaction member when the abutment is released and theclutch engaged and driven in 13 driving relation with said hafts andincluding a reaction member, abutment means rotatable with said reactionmember in a reverse direction, brake means operable to hold saidabutment means from rotating reversely, drive mechanism including aclutch for connecting the abutment meanswith the driven shaft, fluidpressure means operable to cause engagement of the brake means and theclutch, and control means for the fluid pressure means operable to causeengagement of the brake means and disengagement of the clutch wherebyforward drive is effected or to cause disengagement of the brake meansand en agement of the clutch whereby reverse drive is effected.

11. In a transmission, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a hydraulictorque converter connected in driving relation between the shafts andincludor released for reverse drive, means for connecting the reactionmember with the driven shaft, reduction gearing connecting the drivenshaft and the tail shaft including a freewheeling clutch and a positiveclutch, a fluid pressure system for engaging the positive clutchengageable to establish drive through the gearing, a valve controllingfluid flow to eife'ct engagement and disengagement of the positiveclutch, a solenoid for operating the valve, and an electric circuitcontrollable to energize or deenergize said solenoid, said freewheelclutch being automatically eflective to establish drive through thereduction gear- 15. In a transmission a driving shaft, a driven shaft, atail shaft, a hydraulic torque converter in ing a reversely operablereaction member, abutment means rotatable reversely with the reactionmember, brake means operable to hold the abutment means from rotatingreversely, mechanism including a clutch for driving the driven shaftreversely with the abutment means when released, a fluid pressure systemoperable to control engagement and disengagement of said brake means andsaid clutch, valves controlling .the application of said system to saidbrake means and said clutch, an electric system controlling saidsolenoids, and manually shiftable control means for the electric systemoperable in one position to cause application of the brake anddisengagement of the clutch and in another position to cause release ofthe brake and engagement of the clutch.

12. In a transmission, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, ahydraulic'torque converter connected in driving relation between saidshafts and including 'a' reversely operable reaction member, an abutmentmeans, a one-way clutch for connecting the abutment means and thereaction member for unitary reverse rotation. a brake operable to holdthe abutment means from rotating reversely, a fluid pressure systemoperable to apply the brake to the abutment means, valve means in thepressure system controlling flow to apply the brake, and a control meansfor the driving relation with the driving shaft and the driven shaftincluding a reaction member, means for holding or, releasing saidreaction'member, mechanism including a clutch for driving the drivenshaft with the reaction member when released for reverse drive, forwarddrive through the torque converter being effected when the reactionmember is held, reduction gearing including a freewheel clutch and apositive clutch in driving relation between the driven shaft and thetall shaft, a clutch for directly driving the tail shaft from the drivenshaft, fluid pressure means for controlling said positive clutches andthe clutch in the reverse drive, an electric system for controlling thefluid pressure system, selector means in the electric system toestablish reverse, forward and positive forward reduced drives, governormeans in the electric system for selecting the forward drive through thereduction gearing or the direct clutch in accordvalve means including amanually adjustable meansi'or dictating the open or closed position ofthe valve means and another manually operated means for "maintaining thecontrol means in relation to maintain fluid pressure application of thebrake.

18. In a motorvehicle driving system, an engine having an acceleratorpedal controlled one of said switches being operable to select a circuitfor' the solenoid to open the valve and the other switch being closed bythe accelerator pedal while depressed to induce engine speed aboveidling whereby the torque converter will drive only when the engine isoperating above idling speed.

14. In a transmission, a driving shaft,-a drivenv shaft, a tail shaft, ahydraulic torque converter in driving relation with the driving shaftand the driven shaft including a reaction member ance with tall shaftspeed, and means for overruling said governor means when reverse driveand positlvedrive through the reduction gearing is dictated by theselector means.

16. In a transmissicma driving shaft, a driven shaft, a tail shaft, ahydraulic torque converter in driving relation with thedrive shaft andthe driven shaft including a reaction member, means operable to hold orrelease said reaction member, mechanism including a clutch for drivingthe driven shaft and said tail shaft, a clutch operable to connect thedrive shaft directly with the tail shaft, pressure means operable tocontrol said means, for holding or releasing said reaction member, saiddirect drive clutchand said positive reduction gear clutch, valvescontrolling said pressure means in its effect on said holding orreleasing means, said, direct drive clutch and said positive reductiondrive clutch, solenoids controlling said valves, 'an electric systemcontrolling said solenoids including a governor effective to energizethe direct drive clutch and effect driving position thereof above apredetermined speed of the tail shaft, manually operable means forestablishing a circuit to the positive clutch in the reduction gearingwhen the reaction member is held or released, and means under control ofthe valve controlling the positive clutch overruling the governorwhenever such valve is open to engage such clutch.

17. In atransmission, a driving shaft, a

driven shaft, a tail shaft, a hydraulic torque converter in drivingrelation with said driving and driven the application of the pressuremeans, solenoids controlling the valve means, an electric system forcontrolling the solenoids including switches operable to establishdesired solenoid circuits, manually operable means for controlling theswitch of the brake control circuit, and governor means operated by thetail shaft for controlling the switch of the solenoid circuit forthe'direct drive clutch while the manually controlled switch effectsengagement of the brake to hold the abutment means.

18. In a driving system for a vehicle, an engine having an accelerator,a driving shaft driven by the engine, a driven shaft, a tail shaft, ahydraulic torque converter in driving relation with said driving anddriven shafts including a reaction member, abutment means for thereactionmember, a brake for holding or releasing said abutment means,reduction gearing including overrunning clutch means between two of thegears for driving the tail shaft from the driven shaft, a clutch fordriving the tail shaft directly from the driven shaft, fluid prmsuremeans.

means operated by the fluid pressure means for controlling the brake andthe direct drive clutch,

valve means controlling the application of the pressure means, solenoidscontrolling the valve means, an electric system for controlling thesolenoids including switches operable to establish desired circuits forthe solenoids, and a switch operated by the accelerator controlling thebrake circuit, said accelerator operated switch being normally open torelease the brake and being closed when the accelerator is depressedbeyond engine idling position.

19. In a transmission, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a tail shaft, ahydraulic torque converter in driving relation with said driving anddriven shafts including a reversely operable reaction member, abutmentmeans for preventing reverse rotation of the reaction member when held,means for connecting the abutment means in driving relation with thedriven shaft when being rotated reversely, gearing including clutchmeans between two of the gears for driving the tail shaft from thedriven shaft, a clutch for driving the tail shaft directly from thedriven shaft, shifter means for selectively engaging and disengaging thedirect drive clutch and the reduction gear clutch, control means for theshifter means including a governor, and means operable in response toactuation of the control means for blocking engagement of the reductiongear clutch above a predetermined speed of the tail shaft.

I 20. In a transmission, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a tail shaft,a hydraulic torque converter in driving relation with said driving anddriven shafts including a reaction member, abutment means for thereaction member, reduction gearing including ,overrunning clutch meansand positive clutch means between two of the Bears for driving the tailshaft from the driven shaft, a clutch for driving the tail shaftdirectly from the driven shaft, pressure means, means operable trol ofthe pedal controlling the solenoids for brake and the direct driveclutch.

by the pressure means for selectively engaging the positive reductiongearing clutch and the direct drive clutch, valve means controlling thepressure means, solenoids controlling the valve means, an electricsystem for controlling enersizing of the solenoids including switchesoperable to establish desired circuits for the solenoids and a mainselector switch, a governor in the electric system driven from the tailshaft for controlling the circuit to the direct drive clutch solenoid,and means forblocking shifting of the selector switch to effectengagement of the positive reduction gearing clutch, said blocking meansbeing under control of the governor to be moved out of blocking positiononly when the tail sihaft is operating below a predetermined low spee21. In adriving system,-an engine having a throttle valve controllingpedal, a driving shaft driven by the engine, a driven shaft, a tailshaft, a hydraulic torque converter in driving relation with saiddriving and driven shafts including a reaction member, abutment meansfor the reaction member, a brake for holding or releasing said abutmentmeans, reduction gearing including overrunning clutch means between twoof the gears for driving the tail shaft fromthe driven shaft, a clutchfor driving the tail shaft directly from the driven shaft, saidoverrunning clutch engaging automatically when the direct drive clutchis disengaged and the brake is engaged, pressure means, means operatedby the pressure means for controlling the brake and the direct driveclutch, valve means controlling the application. of hie pressureoperated means, solenoids controlling the valve means, an electricsystem for controlling the solenoids including switches operable toestablish desired circuits for the solenoids, a manually operableselector switch controlling the electric system, governor meansresponsive to the speed of the tail shaft for controlling the switch forthe direct drive clutch solenoid, and switch means under conthe 22. Ina, driving system, a driving shaft driven by the engine, a driven shaft,a tail shaft, a hydraulic torque converter in driving relation be-.tween said driving and driven shafts including a reaction member,abutment means for preventing reverse rotation of the reaction member, abrake for holding or releasing said abutment means, reduction gearingincluding overrunnin'g clutch means between two of the gears for drivingthe tail shaft from the driven shaft, a clutch for driving the tailshaft directly from the driven shaft, a governor operating at tail shaftspeed, a manually operable selector device, and means under the combinedcontrol of the pedal, the governor and the selector device effectingengagement of the brake and the direct drive clutch to provide directdrive from the driven shaft to the tail shaft above a predetermined tailshaft speed, and releasing the direct drive clutch below suchpredetermined speed and above engine idling speed to effect drivethrough the reduction gearing.

23. In a driving system, an engine having a fuel intake manifold and athrottle control pedal, a driving shaft driven by the engine, a drivenshaft, a tail shaft, a hydraulic torque converter in driving relationwith said driving and driven shafts including a reversely rotatablereaction member.

l 7 including overrunning clutch means between two of the gears fordriving the tail shaft from the driven shaft, a clutch for driving thetail shaft directly from the driven shaft, shifter means for the directdrive clutch connected to be controlled the clutch below a predeterminedpressure, control means for the vacuum application to said shiftermeans, control means for the brake, a governor operated in accordancewith tail shaft speed, and means responsive to the governor and theaccelerator pedal for shifting the brake and ning' clutch means for byvacuum in the engine manifold to disconnect direct speed clutch toestablish a high or low speed drive from the driven shaft to the tailshaft.

24. In a driving system, an engine having a throttle control pedal andan electric ignition system, a driving shaft driven by the engine, adriven shaft, a tail shaft, a hydraulic torque converter in drivingrelation with said driving and drivenshafts including a reaction member,abutment means for holding the reaction member from reverse rotation,means for connecting the abutment means in driving relation with thedriven shaft when released, gearing including overrunning clutch meansfor driving the tail shaft at a reduced speed from the driven shaft,means for driving the tail shaft directly from the driven shaft, meansfor shifting said direct drive means. an electric system operable tocontrol said direct drive clutch shifting means, a governor driven fromthe tail shaft for controlling the electric system to efl'ect shiftingof the shifting means, a switch in the electric system operable tooverrul the governor when direct drive is established to efiect shiftingof the direct driving means out of direct drive relation, means operatedby the pedal when moved beyond wide open throttle position for openingsaid switch to overrule the governor, and means operating to momentarilyground th ignition in response to initial shifting of the direct drivemeans into driving position, the ignition being restored by the controlof the means for shifting the direct drive means.

25. In a driving system, an engine havinga fuel intake manifold, a fuelcontrol pedal and an electric ignition system, a driving shaft driven bythe engine, a driven shaft, a tail shaft, a hydraulic torque converterin driving relation with said driving and driven shafts includin areaction member operable in a reverse direction, abutment means forholding the reaction member from rotating reversely, means forconnecting the abutment member in driving relationwith the driven shaftwhen released, gearing including overrundriving the tall shaft at areduced speed from the driven shaft, a clutch for driving the tail shaftdirectly from the driven shaft, shift means operable to control thedirect drive clutch, means connecting the manifold with the shift meansfor actuation by vacuumin the manifold, a valve in the connection, asolenoid for controlling said valve, an electric system including agovernor operable t'o'control the circuit for the solenoid, a switch inthe electric system operable by the pedal when beyond full fuel deliveryposition for opening the solenoid circuit established by the governor torelease the direct drive clutch, a ground circuit for the ignitionsystem, means under control of the shift means for closingthe groundcircuit upon initial shifting of said clutch to direct drive position,and means operated by said solenoid actuated valve for opening theground circuit momentarily after the ground circuit is closed. 1

FOREST R. McFARLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 975,795 Radcliffe Nov. 15, 19101,576,996 Radcliffe Mar. 16, 1926 1,960,705 Kochling May 29, 1934.

. 1,970,236 Kluge et al Aug. 14, 1934 2,041,445 Warren May 19, 19362,042,189 Rabe May 26, 1936 I 2,104,608 Cox et al Jan. 4, 193812,126,547 Flottinger' Aug. 9, 1938 2,140,502 Banker Dec. 20, 19382,203,177 Patterson June 4, 1940 2,247,714 Peterson et a1 July 1, 19412,251,972 Banner Aug, 12, 1941 2,261,128 Roche Nov. 4, 1941 2,282,591Orr May 12, 1942 2,298,469 Russell Oct. 13, 1942 2,298,648 Russell Oct.13, 1942 2,306,834 Tipton Dec. 29, 1942 "2,343,304 La Brie Mar. 7, 19442,349,297 Neracher et al. May 23, 1944 2,373,453 Brunken Apr. 10, 19452,379,015 Lysholm June 26, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date496,299 Great Britain Nov. 29, 1938 19L "a e.

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,448,678. d September 7, 1948.

FOREST R. McFARLAND It is hereby certified that errors appear in theprinted specification of the above numbered patent requiring correctionas follows:

Column 7, line 4, for the syllable and hyphen "mem read member; column9,

line 51, for .ain read main;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read-with these correctionstherein that the same may conform to the record of the case in thePatent Office.

Signed and 'sealedrthis 28th day of December A. D. 1948.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Oommz'ssz'oner of Patents.

